Born:
October 3, 1931 to Jewish parents in Nkana, Zambia. Raised in a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Education:
- Attended University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, 1948 to 1952
- Architectural Association in London, England, graduated in 1955
- University of Pennsylvania, Master of City Planning in 1960, and Master of Architecture in 1965
Partnerships:
Partnered with her husband Robert Venturi in the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates (VSBA). For the past 30 years has directed the firm's urban planning, urban design, and campus planning work.
Important Works:
- 1970s: Preservation planning for historic districts in Galveston, Texas and Miami Beach, Florida
- 1980s: City plan for downtown Memphis, Tennessee
- 1990s: Helped prepare the master plan and schematic design for the Denver Civic Center Cultural Complex in Denver, Colorado. Also created campus plans for Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania.
- Advised on urban planning and design for New York's World Trade Center site
Books:
- With Robert Venturi and Steven Izenour, wrote Learning from Las Vegas, The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form. The controversial book presented the idea that architects could learn important lessons in design from commercial art like billboards and casino ads. (Compare Prices)
- With Robert Venturi, wrote Architecture as Signs and Systems for a Mannerist Time (Harvard University Press, 2004)
Awards:
- 1985: AIA Firm Award
- 1997: AIA Topaz Award for excellence in architectural education,
Quote:
"... we are not Postmodernists, and never were. The origins of our thinking are more complex than that and have more sources."
-Lessons About Architecture from Planning, Metropolis magazine
Related People:
About Denise Scott Brown:
When Denise Scott Brown met and married Robert Venturi, she had already made important contributions to the field of urban design. Through her work as an urban planner and her collaboration with Robert Venturi, she has brought the artifacts of popular culture into the realm of architecture and has shaped our understanding of the relationship between design and society.
